Farscape, Peacekeeper Wars

2013-09-05

Could I have discussed The Peacekeeper Wars mini-series with Farscape? Probably. They feature the same characters with the same past but there is a more foreboding atmosphere to the special that did not exist in the main show. This two hour special most likely would have formed the basis for the shows fifth season had it not been canceled.

But to me they are completely disparate — okay, I guess in all honesty distinct is probably the better word — stories. And so each should be discussed on its own merits.

As the last seconds of Farscape came to a close, most fans, if they were like me, were rather annoyed at the emptiness of the show’s conclusion. Farscape was too good a show to die alongside Aeryn and Crichton, not to mention those mocking words, “To Be Continued…” But that was how the last episode concluded, the two stars turned into a pile of particles, paired with a lamenting Ka D’Argo. And for almost twenty months we had nothing to settle that chilling scene, that is, nothing until the The Peacekeeper Wars.

This was originally aired as a two part mini-series that picked up right where the show had left off, well 60 solar days later. Most of the elements that drew people to the original series still hold true here. Moya’s crew, while preparing for a joyous occasion, is instead thrown into their greatest misadventure to date, a galaxy wide war between two heavyweight empires. To any fan of Farscape, this mini-series rewards our patience with the sense of closure that was missing in the original finale. We were treated to the ending that the show truly deserved. To any who have not seen the series, you could watch this little mini-series and be entertained; but, to fully appreciate it, you should really watch the show first. And of course Aeryn and Crichton survived their fateful events of the first finale but, if you want to know how they survived, you should go watch The Peacekeeper Wars.